The Youngling
by Aslan's Princess
Summary: In the aftermath of the Order 66, Obi-Wan and Yoda discover a single Youngling that survived.


Quiet sobs racked a small boy's body. He shook as freezing terror pressed in on him from all sides. His mouth gaped open as he gasped for air against the intense pain of emptiness and aloneness. His eyes stared wide-eyed at nothing in shock as emotions not his own exploded against his consciousness before they disappeared leaving nothing but fading ghosts. His mind numbed at what he had witnessed.

His hero, the one he wished with all his heart to train under, had killed his friends before his very eyes. Even now the memory of the lightsaber coming to life made his heart skip a beat. The flash of blue reflected in eyes that had hardened with darkness chilled the boy's soul. The screams of his friends echoed in his ears even now.

Somehow, one of the chairs had landed over top of him, shielding him from his former hero's attacks. In that single instant, the Force had wrapped him tightly in its embrace, hiding him from everything. It wasn't until the darkened presence of his idol had left the Temple that the Force had gently drifted back. But it had left him to the ravages of the pain echoing across the galaxy. He had never grasped the concept of something bigger than the Temple and Coruscant until that moment. Only a giant galaxy could hold that much pain, that much Darkness.

Something flashed in the long night. It snapped him from his silent state with a gasp. Someone was here. Someone shining with the Force's warmth and light. He had to reach out to them. But was there anymore enemies in the Temple? When he sensed that the two beacons were moving confidently without fear, he reached out to them, sure that the Darkness wouldn't punish him or his rescuers for it. But they were too focused on their task to notice him.

He cringed in pain again as one of the beacons clouded with a familiar pain of sadness and betrayal. A moment later, those feelings were muffled as determination set in. He could sense that they were about to leave.

_No! Please, don't leave me! Help me, please!_

* * *

Obi-Wan jerked his head up from it's sorrowful bow. A fearful but desperate sensation had pressed itself onto his consciousness. "Master Yoda, did you?"

"Sensed it too, I did," Yoda answered. "From the Council Chamber, it came. No trap do I sense."

Obi-Wan followed Yoda as they hurried upward to the tallest spire of the Temple. Upon opening the door, the younger Master halted, supporting himself against the doorframe. Young children lay slain upon the floor and over the chairs. "Why must the Younglings die amongst the Masters?" he murmured. Even if he could have ignored the lifeless Younglings, the once serene place was now a scene of utter chaos. Chairs had been flung about, some even lay broken. Yet by some miracle a Youngling still lived amidst this destruction.

Yoda approached one of the overturned chairs, using the Force to lift it up. He had barely raised it a foot when a dark-haired child shot out and latched onto the diminutive Master. The child-sized Grand Jedi Master only briefly reacted with surprise. But then he radiated peace and calm, slowly rubbing the child's back, easing his shuddering sobs.

Obi-Wan knelt beside them, resting a hand on the boy's shoulder. When he finally saw the Youngling's face, he immediately recognized him. The lad was no more than five years and was one of several Younglings who had followed Anakin around whenever they were in the Temple. This one especially had been like a second shadow, hanging on Anakin's every word.

Obi-Wan's heart broke all over again. His former Padawan, Anakin, was no more. Even now, every fiber of his being screamed, begged, and pleaded for it to not be so. But, the Force gently whispered that it was indeed so. It would crush this child to learn that his hero had fallen so swiftly and completely.

"Ma-Master Skywalker . . . did it," the boy said, sobbing into Yoda's shoulder. "He, hic, he killed them."

Obi-Wan bowed his head in pained despair as the reality struck him. This innocent child had witnessed the destruction. He had witnessed his hero fall. He had seen first-hand what Ana-, no, Darth Vader had done.

"Get this boy to safety before we leave, we must," Yoda said, breaking into Obi-Wan's tortured thoughts.

"Would we be able to return him to his family?" Obi-Wan asked.

He jumped a little when the boy in question leaped into his chest, wrapping his little arms around him. The Jedi wrapped his arms protectively around the boy and spent the next couple minutes slipping his cloak out from under the child's grasp to wrap it round the trembling form.

"From Corellia he is," Yoda answered. "One of the orphan babies brought in four-and-a-half years ago. No family to return to."

Obi-Wan gazed down at the boy who was now snuggling in tight against him. Maybe if he somehow managed to survive what the future held for him during the next several hours, he could . . . No. Where had that thought even come from? He could never raise a child. Especially when he could be on the run for the rest of his life. Oh, what was he to do? Then an answer came softly on a whisper of the Force. "The Wookies. He will be safe among them," he said.

Yoda nodded, still every bit the Master despite the large tear stain on his shoulder. "Know a friend I do who will take him in. Tell you where to find him I will. Then destroy Vader you must."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes against the pain, pain that he tried to release into the Force. "Yes, Master."

* * *

The boy snuggled closer to Master Kenobi. Somehow, Master Kenobi's calm and comfort was more soothing than Master Yoda's. Maybe it was because he could recognize the hurt and sadness. They were both feeling sad about Master Skywalker. They were both hurt because of him. And somehow, that brought comfort.

His hands tugged at Master Kenobi's robe, pulling it closer around him. Between that and the ship's gentle rumble, he was drifting into a pleasant place between sleeping and waking. He was broken out of it when the rumble quieted so that it could no longer be felt. He blearily raised his head, wondering what was happening.

"Child." The boy turned sleepy eyes up to the Jedi Master. "You're going to have to trust me," Master Kenobi said gently. Waves of calm comfort still flowed off him. "It will hurt, but it's for your protection." The man buried his fingers in the boy's thick curls, resting his palm on the boy's forehead.

The boy watched the man's face, still not sure what was happening. Then something sharp cut through his entire being. He screamed in pain. It took another second to realize that the cutting was doing something. He was losing the Force, that strange thing that had forever wrapped around him like a safe, warm blanket. He cried, pushing away from Master Kenobi. "Stop! Please! Master Kenobi! Stop!" He sobbed as the man just hugged him tighter to stop his struggles. He screamed until he could scream no more. Then it was gone. The Force was so tiny and thin that it slipped through his grasp.

The boy sobbed as he felt his last bit of safety ripped away. The comforting blanket was gone. Now he could feel the cold all around him. Where he could find life, it was now dead. He could hardly feel Master Kenobi's gentle, apologizing touches on his mind.

His awareness was pulled into the world of things touched and felt by his fingers when he felt warm drops on his head.

"I'm sorry," Master Kenobi said, crying. "I'm sorry. But I had to do it. It is the only way to keep you safe."

The boy buried his face in Master Kenobi's tunic. The roughness of the cloth somehow brought some comfort, but it wasn't the same. He had lost the Force, his comfort, forever.

* * *

Obi-Wan ached alongside the boy. He knew what it was like to lose the Force. That knowledge had him nearly begging Master Yoda to reconsider, find another way. But the Grand Master had been unmoveable. However, Obi-Wan wasn't going to let the boy live like this for the rest of his life without hope.

He softly slipped in again, though the boy didn't even notice now. He reached the new barrier then fashioned a door then a lock. And into that lock, he inserted a key. When the time was right, the boy's connection to the Force would be restored.

A knock on his fighter's canopy brought his head up from the child whose sobs were now just weak mewls. A Wookie stood there. Obi-Wan raised the canopy. "Are you Chewbacca?" he asked.

"[Yes. Are you the Jedi that Master Yoda sent?]" the Wookie returned.

"Yes," Obi-Wan answered. "And this is the boy Master Yoda mentioned." He squeezed the boy's shoulders as his big brown eyes gazed up in uncertainty and pain. "He's had a rough couple of days. I just blocked his Force-sensitivity to protect him, so you needn't worry about detection."

Chewbacca tenderly gathered the child up in his big, strong, hairy arms. The boy almost disappeared as though he had been bundled into a fur blanket. "[My wife and I shall watch over him as though he were our own cub]," he promised, softly snuffling the boy's hair. "[Master Yoda didn't mention the boy's name]."

Obi-Wan paused in lowering his canopy as memories flooded his mind. Anakin and the boy laughing together, especially after some misadventure. The boy handing Anakin tools as the elder fixed up his fighter. Would Vader remember this boy? Or had he never really caught the boy's name, caught up in enjoying everything together? He couldn't recall ever hearing Anakin mention the boy by name. "Han Solo," he finally said. "His name is Han Solo."

* * *

**Author's Note**: Okay, so this is half One-shot, half "testing the waters." I'll admit that I am not currently in a Star Wars phase right now, but once I get some other stories done (such as more _Swan Sisters_ episodes, a couple one-shots inspired by a couple Ghibli films I've recently checked out) I may try to get myself inspired by this fandom again and try to finish _A New Hope_ at least.

That said, you can take it as nothing changes in the films. Han's Force sensitivities remain locked away for the rest of his life. Or, if you are willing to patiently wait, I'll eventually share what I think could have happened. I guess I'm a little nervous because a friend told me a few years back that I should be careful with this concept, that some fans wouldn't like Han with Jedi abilities. If there are haters, please, don't flame. But if you are interested in seeing my interpretation, let me know with a follow, a review, or a favorite. *hides under a rock for a couple weeks in case sparks and/or Force lightning flies*


End file.
